No. 2 Gulf repels No. 8 Ocala West Port, 54-37

By JOEY KNIGHT

OCALA - In its 30th game of the season, second-ranked Gulf finally received a challenge from an in-state foe, and watched its defense rise to it convincingly.

Leading by only five after three periods, the Bucs (29-1) held No. 8 Ocala West Port (25-4) to one fourth-quarter field goal to pull away for a 54-37 triumph in the Class 4A-Region 2 semifinals Tuesday night.

The Bucs, who still haven't allowed a Florida team to come within 16 points of defeating them, play at Orlando Bishop Moore (26-3) in Saturday's region championship. A win sends Gulf to its first state tournament, set for next week at The Lakeland Center.

For a change, the Bucs encountered a bumpy stretch Tuesday on that road to Polk County.

West Port closed the third period with a 13-4 run to cut Gulf's lead to 37-32. Keishana Roberts' missed breakaway layup at the third-quarter horn was all that prevented the Wolf Pack from trailing by only a possession entering the final quarter.

But Gulf went on a 8-0 run to start the fourth, and made seven of eight free throws down the stretch to seal things. Gulf converted only five field goals in the second half but sank 17 free throws during that time, finishing 27-for-34 from the stripe.

"We wanted to see what the competition would be like as we got farther up," said Bucs senior center Tiara Cook, who led all scorers with 18 points. "So we needed somebody to give us pressure, somebody to have an intensity level equal to or above ours, so it was good."

West Port center Hannah Jones, a 6-foot-1 junior who spent the night banging with Cook on the inside, led her team with 14 points. Freshman Gabriel Austin, West Port's top perimeter threat, picked up her fourth foul 15 seconds into the second half and scored only six.